Making the shift to sustainable transport in Scotland

ABSTRACT

Transport sector decarbonisation is a Scottish Government policy aim. Recent legislation and funding announcements are beginning a shift away from support for habitual car use. Sustainable transport is augmented by co-benefits of active travel itself through improvements in air quality, safety, and benefits across other sectors. At a workshop, attendees identified the need for further actions including closing down the roads programme and shifting funding to sustainable transport, reducing the need for travel, and a major shift to active travel for journeys under 3 km. Such actions are reflected on in the context of the current coronavirus.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-benefit
• Scottish transport
• active travel
• sustainable travel

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This comparison is based on commitments made prior to COVID-19, the impact of which may change future budgets significantly.

2. A Workplace Parking Levy is a charge on employers who provide workplace parking, a type of congestion charging scheme. See https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/information-for-residents/transport-parking-and-streets/parking-and-permits/workplace-parking-levy

3. Greater Glasgow’s population together with the equivalent population for Edinburgh is 2,029,000 i.e. roughly 37.5% of Scotland’s population.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adrian Davis

Adrian Davis is Professor of Transport & Health at Edinburgh Napier University. Public health trained, Adrian has for over 30 years focused his work on the health impacts of road transport, the understanding of the importance of health by transport planners, and the application of science in selecting which policies and practices most support health enhancing travel behaviours. He has previously worked in unique roles in local government transport and transport consultancy in connecting practitioners with public health science including through translational research.

Bruce Whyte

Bruce Whyte is a Public Health Programme Manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health. His main areas of work include: developing and managing the Glasgow Indicators project and the Understanding Glasgow website, and leading a programme of research on sustainable travel. Previously, he has undertaken comparative studies of health in Glasgow’s neighbourhoods and of Scotland’s mortality profile within Europe, and managed a programme of breastfeeding research.